The Event Scenario: Abena's Pageant
Let us look at a real-life scenario to see how Vootely and Egotickets compare.
Imagine Abena is organizing the grand finale of the "Queen of Greater Accra" beauty pageant. She needs to do two things:
- Sell tickets for the live event show.
- Collect paid votes for the contestants because public voting helps decide who wins the crown.
Abena needs a platform that is cheap for her buyers, simple for her gate staff, and easy for supporters who vote offline. She also wants to offer discounted vote bundles (like 50 votes for GH₵40) so contestant families can support candidates in bulk at cheaper rates. Let us compare Egotickets and Vootely for Abena's pageant.
Fees and Optional Insurance Policies
Abena wants to make sure her voters and ticket buyers do not feel cheated by extra fees at checkout.
Egotickets Fees & Insurance: Egotickets charges a 7.5% platform fee on ticket sales. In addition, when buyers get to the payment page, they see an insurance policy fee (usually GH₵1 to GH₵3) from StarLife Assurance.
Is Egotickets Insurance Mandatory?
No, the insurance policy is not mandatory. Buyers can uncheck the box to opt out of it. However, because it is selected by default or shown in a prominent way, it confuses many buyers. They might not notice the checkmark and end up paying extra, or they might feel that Egotickets is trying to sneak in hidden costs.
Vootely Fees: Vootely charges a flat 7.0% organizer commission and a 2.5% buyer handling fee to cover payment gateway charges. Vootely does not have any insurance popups, pre-selected checkmarks, or hidden fees. What your buyers see is exactly what they pay.
Check-In Apps vs Browser Gating
On pageant night, Abena wants her gate staff to scan tickets quickly so that guests do not wait in long lines outside.
Egotickets Gating: Egotickets requires Abena's ushers to download a separate mobile app called "Checkpoint by Egotickets". This means ushers must have enough space on their phones, go to the App Store or Play Store, download the app, and log in. If an usher's phone is full or their network is slow, they cannot scan, which slows down the entire gate.
Vootely Gating: Vootely does not require any app downloads! Vootely uses the same system for everything. Abena simply creates secure gate scanner links from her dashboard. Her ushers open the link on any phone using their standard web browser (like Safari or Chrome) to start scanning.
Key Benefits of Vootely's Gate Scanners:
- No Downloads: Ushers scan instantly using a web browser link on any device.
- Offline Scanning: If the network drops at the hall, ushers can still scan tickets. The system saves the scan data and updates it when the phone gets back online.
- Auto-Revocation: As soon as the event is over, Vootely automatically revokes all usher gate passes. The ushers can no longer scan tickets or access Abena's attendee details, keeping customer data secure.
USSD Codes and Middleman Fees
Pageant voting requires a good USSD system because many relatives and local fans want to vote using simple keypad phones without internet.
Egotickets USSD: Egotickets uses Hubtel's shared code (*713#) to run its USSD system. Because Hubtel is a middleman provider, they charge Egotickets a transaction fee. Egotickets passes this fee down to the tickets, making USSD votes more expensive for Abena's supporters.
Vootely USSD: Vootely has its own direct USSD shortcode (*928*419). Because Vootely connects directly to the networks, we do not pay middleman fees. This allows us to keep voting fees cheaper for Abena's pageant fans.
Which is Better for You?
If you do not mind your buyers seeing pre-selected insurance checkmarks, and your ushers are happy downloading a separate app like Checkpoint by Egotickets, then Egotickets is a solid option.
But if Abena wants a platform with direct USSD codes, cheaper buyer fees, no hidden insurance popups, a secure browser-based gate check-in system that auto-revokes access, and the ability to stream the live results screen directly onto the pageant stage projection monitors, Vootely is the clear choice.
